wah, significant grey root!! How do you manage yours? Thoughts needed. Also hairdresser recommendations Central or South East london (se10,3,7 etc)

[Lloydcolestilldoesitforme]

Am looking for some input into what to do about the invasion of grey roots.

I am 42 and have always had naturally very dark hair (Almost black) with very pale skin and dark eyebrows. I have been going grey for years but this year hit the tipping point where there is probably more salt and pepper than anything else.

I have been having my roots done at the hairdressers which costs a fortune and unfortunately my hair is supe thick and grows fast. I have visible re growth in a couple of weeks. I have been starting to despair that it is unsustainable to be in the hairdressers every 4 weeks and at the same time my hairdresser has been trying to persuade me to go natural. She thinks it's an edgy look.

In a brave moment I said I'd give it a go and so we stripped out a lot of the existing colour and now it is currently a lightish brown with some highlights . It's ok. My skin looks warmer but it's a bit stripy and you can see a lot more grey. I Have realised I am not feeling confident enough to go completely natural. I have had a lot of physical change recently (double mastectomy, loss of ovaries, early menopause etc) and I don't feel like my old self just because of those. I've also realised now that I have seen more of my natural grey colour that it may not suit me. I always think it looks great on Isabel marant etc but I don't have any warmth in my skin tone which I think you to offset grey hair.

So now I'm stuck. My hairdresser says I can only maintain my current colour using foils. Which are even more expensive than previously! And I have constant grey hair re growth as the foils don't go back to the hair line.

My hairdresser is fantastic at cutting but am starting to wonder if I should get a second opinion.

Any recommendations, tips etc as to how others manage this conundrum greatly appreciated.

Also any recommendations for good colourists in Central or South london?

Thank you!

Sorry you've had such a rough time. I attempted the soft highlight and toner route but maintenance is an expensive faff. Have you tried just putting a semipermanent dye on yourself? They can be a bit hit and miss but a midbrown should get you back to base.

Sorry to hear that you have had such a hard time lately.

I have been dying my hair for years, I have naturally dark brown hair. I have tried most dyes but the best for me is nice & easy medium ash brown. Always go lighter than you think you should as they usually turn out darker than the description, so I would start with Light Ash Brown if I were you. Maybe go for a semi permanent to see how you get on

I use Aveda black Malva shampoo and conditioner which dampens down any orangey glow.

To hide the odd grey between colours I use Josh Wood blending wands for M&S, highly recommend those, or Colour Wow powder for roots from SpaceNK

My hair is really glossy and gets lots of compliments so don't be put off doing it yourself, it's very easy.

Thanks dibly. I have been wondering about the semi permanent route (!). I have steered away from doing it myself before because of the colour build up but I guess with semi permanent that's less of an issue? If it was that easy, it would be amazing! Do you have any recommendations of which ones to use?
The foils are a faff. Time and money that I don't really have!

Thanks milk thistle , very helpful! I am going to give the diy approach a go, the cost of the hairdresser is insane!

One way to tackle this is to buy a professional dye like Majirel and mix up just the quantity you need to do a root touch up. In order to penetrate white hair you need to mix it with 20 or 30 vol cream peroxide. The instructions that come with it tell you the ratio of cream developer to Majirel. The good thing about this is it's always on hand and you can target the obvious regrowth every week if you need to. You basically need 1 part Majirel mixed with 1 and 1/2 parts cream developer, mix it in a plastic bowl and use a small paintbrush to paint it on. Obviously gloves to. In terms of shade you need to put some gold back into grey or it looks flat. If your hair is naturally very dark then 4.3 should be about right.

With respect to skintone- being pale/cool toned works brilliantly with grey hair and I agree with your hairdresser it can look edgy but consideration needs to be given to changing make-up and clothing/jewellery to pull it off as well as a hairstyle that suits your patterning/hair type.

You know it might look absolutely lovely and worth considering going natural. What is your patterning/shade like etc?

If you google pinterest silver hair- there are some great examples of how wonderful it can look.

One of my favourite styles is black architectural clothing, bold silver jewellery and red lips with grey hair.

Salon-wise, have you tried The Curious Comb in Blackheath? They are reasonably priced and know what they're doing.

I used semi permanent for years. They always come out a bit darker than the picture so go a shade or two lighter. It makes it much easier when you do decide to go grey finally. The secret to wearing grey hair is having a great haircut. Thankfully I'm blessed with having a fantastic hairdresser and it was she who suggested I just go for it.

My hair grows superfast too and I have to get my roots done super-regularly.

I refuse to have any sign of grey hair, and if I can't get there I occasionally do my roots with Loreal Preference. I have to say it's brilliant.

I'm allergic to all the other Loreal over the counter dyes I tried, but that works really well.

Watching this with interest as my hair has started sprouting v thick curly greys recently

MilkThistle those blending wands get awful reviews on the M&S website, which colour do you buy and do you have any tips? My hair is v dark brown.

Thanks everyone for your posts, I have renewed vigour for the challenge ! I have pinterested grey hair and there are some great examples and I think when I'm feeling overall a bit more robust, I may consider going for it again. I know it's ridiculous but it's other people's comments that make me doubt it. People seem to think they have a pass to an opinion, even good friends "ooh I liked your hair better when it was dark " etc. most times I really don't care what people think but for some reason this seems to be my Achilles heel.

I've coloured my hair since I was 27 and am now 51. My hair was dark but a month ago I decided I'ld had enough of dyeing it every 4 weeks, so went to the hairdressers and they stripped my hair as much as they could and then put in blonde highlights. I must admit it's taken me a good 3 weeks to really like it (it just seemed so strange at first) and initially I felt I looked washed out. I bought a foundation that was one shade darker than my normal colour, so not that different and I have started wearing brighter scarves and lipsticks. Now I feel great.

I am determined to grow my grey hair out but it's comments from others that almost makes me falter.

Then I get myself back on track by googling Vogues Sarah Harris

Could you get the roots done at a trainee hairdressing place.
My local salon does it on a weekday evening.
Not in UK so no use to you but I'm sure there are loads of similar places in your area.

The problem is that grey hair has a totally different texture to hair with pigment, so having long flowing tresses of grey is often not achievable for many women. The hair is a lot coarser and more wiry.

Hi Lloyd, I'm nearly 40 and have been using hair dye since I was 20ish. Prematurely grey.
I have to dye my hair every 2 weeks, as it grows so quickly!
I use L'Oreal Excellence. As others have suggested go a few shades lighter the first time.
I just do my roots, so not too much build up.
There is no way I could justify the expense of a hairdresser every fortnight, plus I couldn't be bothered, much easier to do it at home.
Takes me 20 mins to apply it, and I'm an expert now!

I've coloured my hair for 10 years. I used yo buy semi-permanent dye from the supermarket but hated the colour build up effect - roots much lighter than the tips. It looked really unnatural and didn't suit my face at all. I have very dark brown roots but sun highlighted tips and that was impossible to achieve with a home job.

And then one day i had my hair colored in a salon with inoa and it was a revelation! Natural not brassy colour, no build up and i can use as little as i want just to touch up the roots. I get it from amazon (you need to buy the developer too) or an online salon supplier.

And also use the wand brush from M&S - it's brilliant and saves me from dying my hair every 3 or 4 weeks.

Whatshezed, Sarah Harris' hair is gorgeous !!! She has amazing skin though and she has a warmth to her skin tone that I don't have. In my head I'd look like but wonder if in real life it would just look witchy. Thanks for all the tips. Def going to give the semi permanent home touch up a go.